Joseph Barker, MD, a surgeon at Raleigh (N.C.) Orthopaedic Clinic, became the first surgeon in the state to use a new balloon technology for rotator cuff surgery, the clinic said Sept. 17.
The surgical balloon is used for patients with large rotator cuff tears that can't be repaired. It was cleared for use by the FDA earlier this year.
Dr. Barker, team physician for North Carolina State University and the Carolina Hurricanes, is one of the first in the U.S. to use the device for rotator cuff surgery.